The interpretation of the ego.
Whatever form it takes, the unconscious drive ego is to strengthen the image of the who I think I am, the phantom self that came into existence when thought – a great blessing as well as a great curse – began to take over and obscured the simple yet profound joy of connectedness with Being, Source, God.
Whatever behaviour the ego manifests the hidden motivating force is always the same: the need to stand out, be special, and be in control; the need for power, for attention, for more; and of course the need to feel a sense of separation, that is to say, the need for opposition and/or enemies.
The ego always wants something from other people or situations. There is always a hidden agenda, always a sense of “not enough yet,” of insufficiency and lack that needs to be filled. It uses people and situations to get what it wants, and even when it succeeds; it is never satisfied for long.
Often it is thwarted in its aims, and for the most part the gap between “I want” and “what is” becomes a constant source of upset and anguish. The famous and now classic pop song, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” is the song of the ego. The underlying emotion that governs all the activity of the ego is fear; the fear of being nobody, the fear of non-existence and the fear of death.
All its activities are ultimately designed to eliminate this fear, but the most the ego can ever do is to cover it up temporarily with an intimate relationship, a new possession, another addiction, or winning at this or that. Illusion will never satisfy you. Only the truth of who you are, if realised, will set you free.
Why fear? Because the ego arises by identification with form and deep down it knows that no forms are permanent, that they are fleeting. So there is always a sense of insecurity around the ego even if on the outside it appears confident.
Eckhart Tolle
Whatever behaviour the ego manifests the hidden motivating force is always the same: the need to stand out, be special, and be in control; the need for power, for attention, for more; and of course the need to feel a sense of separation, that is to say, the need for opposition and/or enemies.
The ego always wants something from other people or situations. There is always a hidden agenda, always a sense of “not enough yet,” of insufficiency and lack that needs to be filled. It uses people and situations to get what it wants, and even when it succeeds; it is never satisfied for long.
Often it is thwarted in its aims, and for the most part the gap between “I want” and “what is” becomes a constant source of upset and anguish. The famous and now classic pop song, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” is the song of the ego. The underlying emotion that governs all the activity of the ego is fear; the fear of being nobody, the fear of non-existence and the fear of death.
All its activities are ultimately designed to eliminate this fear, but the most the ego can ever do is to cover it up temporarily with an intimate relationship, a new possession, another addiction, or winning at this or that. Illusion will never satisfy you. Only the truth of who you are, if realised, will set you free.
Why fear? Because the ego arises by identification with form and deep down it knows that no forms are permanent, that they are fleeting. So there is always a sense of insecurity around the ego even if on the outside it appears confident.
Eckhart Tolle